Gleaning Abundance Program

Sharing the Abundance

The Gleaning Abundance Program brings people together to help harvest our local abundance of fruit and vegetables and share it with the greater community. Produce that might have gone to waste becomes a welcome source of fresh food for many who might otherwise go without.

Our main focus is fruit trees, but we also glean farms and gardens. People with an overabundance of produce get their crops harvested, our volunteers get free fresh-picked produce, and local community groups receive fruit and vegetables for their clients and programs. As part of our latest venture, we will be preserving the harvest by freezing and dehydrating fruit for the Boys & Girls Club to use over the winter.

Join Us!

Have fun, meet new people and take home fresh produce! Join the Gleaning Abundance Program to receive email notifications about upcoming harvests and other food action opportunities. If you are unable to pick fruit, there are other ways for you to get involved and share in the harvest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not necessarily. Some people prefer to be home when we come, but as long as we have all the information we need (which trees to pick, how much fruit to leave, etc) you do not need to be home.

When will I hear from you about a harvest?

We can get extremely busy during peak seasons, so if you haven’t heard from us, it is best to contact us a week or more before your fruit is ripe to let us know you’d like us to schedule a harvest. Email us at gleaningabundance@gmail.com or call 250-851-6111.

What if someone gets hurt on my property?

We have full liability insurance that covers staff and volunteers and protects homeowners.

88,000

Lbs of fruit and vegetables gleaned since 2013!

5,370

Lbs of fruit and vegetables gleaned so far in 2018!

Food Outreach Partners

The GAP donates fruit to community organizations who share the fruit through their programs. Our partners include:

Kamloops Food BankThe food bank provides healthy food to any resident of Kamloops who is in need while allowing them to maintain their dignity. They would never be able to accomplish this if not for their talented and dedicated group of volunteers. As well as their hamper programs, the food bank collects, sorts, and distributes food items donated from local grocery stores through their Foodshare program.

ASK WellnessA local agency that is dedicated to helping marginalized and at-risk individuals in our community. Following the agencies guiding principles of harm reduction, client centered and social justice; the staff and volunteers of ASK are involved in addressing the needs of our communities’ most vulnerable populations

Elizabeth Fry SocietyAn active community based non-profit agency that offers programs and services in the areas of housing and community justice to people in the Kamloops area, with a focus on women and youth. A regular group of volunteers from Elizabeth Fry comes out to glean and then shares the harvest with other families who are unable to pick fruit themselves.

Interior Community Services – Community Kitchens and We Can TogetherA Community Kitchen is a small group of people who get together in order to prepare meals and learn healthier cooking techniques and habits. We Can Together is a program that partners seniors who know how to can with individuals and families who don’t. The seniors share their skills and expertise and together they can and make preserves. In2014, much of the fruit gleaned by the GAP was canned or made into jam, salsa, or chutney by the eager volunteers in these two programs.

St. Vincent De Paul SocietyIn the back of the St Vincent De Paul thrift shop is a kitchen and dining area where volunteers prepare breakfast for hungry men, women, and children several days a week. The fresh fruit donated by the GAP is a welcome addition to the breakfast program.

New Life MissionThe mission offers various programs to the less fortunate in our community – among them a hot lunch program which is available seven days a week. Fresh fruit can be baked into pies or crisps or offered fresh to mission visitors.

Centre for Seniors InformationCSI is a non-profit charitable organization which has been offering free services to assist seniors with independent living for over two decades. They lobby for solutions to assist low income seniors with aging in place in safe, appropriate housing and are dedicated to supporting seniors with issues such as abuse, health and finances. They have a kitchen and concession for special events. Donations of fresh fruit are put out to share or used in baking.

Gleaning Abundance Program News

Once again, I am in awe of the incredible abundance of apricots produced in our area. Canada does not even figure in the ranks of worldwide apricot production, which is topped by countries like Turkey, Iran and the Mediterranean lands…

The social enterprise project had its first Food Literacy Workshop with the Boys and Girls Club on July 23rd, and it was a blast. Nine children from the Club tagged along with us for the day. In the morning, they helped harvest apricots, and…

The GAP shares a lot of gleaned fruit with our partners at JUMP.
JUMP is a volunteer-run Not-For-Profit organization operating a drop in centre on the North Shore that provides free community meals, produce markets, and urban community…